Local pair hopes craft soda catches wave of popularity

Jonathan Texeira, left, shares a toast with Brian Fogg, his fellow founder of Batch Craft Soda. As proprietors of Refreshments Direct, Brian and Jonathan decided to make their own flavors of soda, working with whatever equipment they could manage to attain. So far, they have created eight smooth flavors ranging from Root Beer to Shirley Temple and are beginning to distribute their fountain sodas in different Orange County cities. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Yorba Linda's Brian Fogg

Day job: Co-proprietor of Refreshments Direct, a sister company to Real Soda in Real Bottles

Largely works in: San Diego and Inland Empire

Miles driven per week: Averages 1,000

What he keeps in his refrigerator: Blenheim ginger ale

Source: Brian Fogg

Batch Craft Soda flavors

Fogg, 45, and his business partner, Jonathan Texeira, 32, of Santa Ana, finalized the recipes for their craft soda company, Batch Craft Soda, six months ago to try to catch the popularity wave captured by craft beer.

They hawk soda.

The pair doesn't plan to go toe-to-toe with soda titans Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The two intend to create what they say is a healthier and higher-quality product. They now have about 15 restaurants, mostly in San Diego, selling Batch Craft Soda.

“The soda pop business has been dominated by a couple of competitors, and they really cornered the market,” Fogg said. “I don't think anyone has been able to break in.”

Texeira, who started in the soda business as a delivery driver in 1999, says the same thing that made craft beer successful also will help his new venture: Customers today are willing to pay more for a product that is different from what everyone else has.

“Everyone wants to feel that they're special,” he said.

Fogg got into the soda business after raising four daughters as a stay-at-home dad because he wanted to do something fun. In 2005, he started working with Real Soda in Real Bottles, a Gardena craft soda distributor, and began supplying businesses like the Old Towne Grinder in Old Towne Orange. The sandwich shop and ice cream parlor has since become well known for its extensive collection of root beer.

“Other people go to an office, and I think they deal with the same things over and over,” Fogg said about working for the distributor. “We get to deal with Rat Bastard Root Beer.”

Fogg's passion for soda is proudly enshrined in his home office, which displays more than 200 different bottles of unique and vintage soda.

The company's name, Batch Craft Soda, was inspired by the hundreds of batches it took to get each recipe right.

“You have no idea how hard it is to drink so much soda in one day,” Texeira said. “You want to throw up.”

Fogg believes that when customers drink his cola, they'll think of the taste of Mexican Coca-Cola, which is very distinct from what is sold in the United States.

For now, Batch Craft Soda is sold exclusively via soda fountains.

Once a recipe is perfected through mixing sugar with natural ingredients like vanilla, citrus, ginger root and brown sugar, it is sent to a chemist and manufacturer in Anaheim that pumps it into five-gallon bags in a box. To get that refined recipe, Fogg and Texeira manage a daily log book of how long a batch sits for, what temperature it's kept at and what ingredients go into it.

Jonathan Texeira, left, shares a toast with Brian Fogg, his fellow founder of Batch Craft Soda. As proprietors of Refreshments Direct, Brian and Jonathan decided to make their own flavors of soda, working with whatever equipment they could manage to attain. So far, they have created eight smooth flavors ranging from Root Beer to Shirley Temple and are beginning to distribute their fountain sodas in different Orange County cities. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brian Fogg of Yorba Linda pours himself a glass of Batch Craft Soda's Shirley Temple, a sweet but smooth flavor that is available in their set of fountain soda drinks. Working in his garage and another location in Anaheim, Brian and fellow founder Jonathan Texeira have developed over 200 batches of particular soda flavors to achieve their finished products. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Inside Brian Fogg's home is a shelf with hundreds of different sodas and energy drinks he has collected over the years. As a proprietor for Refreshments Direct, Brian and fellow founder Jonathan Texeira decided to make their own brand of soft drinks, Batch Craft Soda. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jonathan Texeira pours himself a glass of Batch Orange Craft Soda, a sweet but smooth flavor that is available in their set of fountain soda drinks. Working in fellow founder Brian Fogg's garage and another location in Anaheim, Brian and fellow founder Jonathan Texeira have developed over 200 batches of particular soda flavors to achieve their finished products. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Brian Fogg, a Yorba Linda resident who distributes craft soda to San Diego and the Inland Empire, is making a new venture with his very own Batch Craft Soda. Brian has made quality sodas without high-fructose corn syrup and natural sugars. He also has a collection of more than 200 different types of soda bottles on display at his house. KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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